Gradient

I have a ton of polishes in two shades: red and aqua. And I also have only two Dior polishes as well–in red and aqua. I ADORE both polishes. (The red polish is the one I used in this video a few days ago).

Of all the aqua polishes I own, I repeatedly come back to Dior’s Saint-Tropez. Sadly, I don’t think you can find it anymore. I ended up buying it on eBay a couple years ago, and even back then it was hard to find. That being said, I just love it. The formula goes on like butter and it self-levels to a perfect finish. Just a lovely polish to work with.

(The red Dior polish I love, Rouge 999, is still for sale, though. The formula has been updated, but it’s the same color).

Anyway, this is Dior Saint-Tropez…

After painting my nails with Saint-Tropez, I thought I’d try another gradient. So I added Julep Monaco to the tips with the gradient sponging technique shown in this video.

Hello, all! Happy Mother’s Day! I’ve been working on perfecting “tape manicures” where you tape off sections of the nail to create crisp, clean lines. It’s a bit tricky to master and I’m still working on it. Anyhow, today I thought I’d do a base painting of a rainbow gradient, apply some tape strips, and then paint black over it all. Really cool masking technique and I have to credit all the amazing inspiration I’ve been seeing on Pinterest. :)

How to do this manicure:

First of all, pick a movie to watch because this takes a while. :)

Paint two coats of white polish (China Glaze White on White). Let dry completely. Not just “to the touch” dry, but more like “I’m going to go do the dishes” dry. Bone dry.

Create gradient nails using rainbow colors and this sponging method. I used four colors and a vertical gradient. I used a bunch of colors from Zoya: Kristi, Pippa, Breezi, and Mira. Let dry completely.

Cut 2 thin strips of tape for each nail and set aside so all are ready before moving on to the next step (I placed them on the top of nail polish bottles with the ends coming off so I could grab them easily). I used regular scotch tape, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Working on each nail one-by-one, apply the tape strips. Be sure to press firmly, especially at the sides next to your cuticles. Paint black polish over entire nail. Immediately remove tape strips (removing them immediately helps you get crisp lines). Move on to next nail.

I attempted to do gradient nails again, this time with neon colors (which sadly my camera doesn’t pick up). The gradient is much more subtle in the photos. Believe me, it’s awesome! Anyhow, I skipped the glitter this time and went straight to stamping. I love how it turned out!

I wanted to do another gradient with stamping yesterday. First, I attempted to use this method to create the gradient and it was just a big old mess. So, I went back to applying each color individually to a sponge and then sponging the color on. I felt like I had more control that way. There was also less clean up. :)

After the gradient, I put on a coat of glitter and then stamped in black.